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Posted December 16, 2007 06:00 am

Associated Press

More playing with head scarfs

Associated Press

Fordson High School basketball player Hyatt Bakri, center, and teammate Zaina Makled (1) congratulate Kennedy High School team members after their game in Taylor, Mich., Nov. 30, 2007. As more covered Muslim girls take up competitive sports, supporters say it's time to get beyond merely allowing the hijab _ the traditional Muslim headscarf worn for modesty _ and help make those wearing them feel welcome. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DEARBORN, Mich. --- Dewnya Bakri loves her faith -- and the feeling of sinking a three-pointer.

For much of her life, the 20-year-old Muslim has found a way to balance practicing Islam and playing basketball, including wearing a head scarf and long pants on the hardcourt, even if it's meant taunts as she blazed trails on her middle school, high school and college teams.

Now a college senior at University of Michigan-Dearborn preparing for law school, she spends free time coaching Muslim girls and sharing what she experienced in Dearborn, home of at least 40 mosques, to help give them the confidence to follow in her footsteps.

As more covered Muslim girls take up competitive sports, Bakri and others say it's time to get beyond merely allowing the hijab -- the traditional Muslim head scarf worn for modesty -- and help those wearing them feel welcome.

"It's not like accommodating for one person anymore, it's a group," Bakri says.

Experts and advocates say the number of Muslim girls wearing the hijab on the court, track or field is rising because girls are growing more comfortable pursuing mainstream activities while maintaining religious traditions.

"They don't see the barriers," said Edina Lekovic, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council. "They take it for granted they can play in competitive sports ... and work out the clothing issues at the same time."

Even so, Bakri and current players at her former school, Fordson High, say they've heard trash-talk that goes beyond the usual on-court chatter.

Bakri said some coaches and referees have questioned whether she could play in a scarf and sweat pants. In the U.S., the National Federation of State High School Associations' rules say state associations may allow a player to participate while wearing a head covering for religious reasons.

Her 17-year-old sister, Hyatt Bakri, is a starting shooting guard at Fordson High, and wears pants and long sleeves on the court.

"Some schools are used to seeing girls in the hijab, but other schools find it different, odd," Hyatt Bakri said during a recent practice.

Fordson High School basketball player Hyatt Bakri (center) and teammate Zaina Makled congratulate Kennedy High School team members after their game. More covered Muslim girls have taken up competitive sports.